Skiers Vs Snowboarders On Mount Battersea

This October half term, Battersea Park will be playing host to a 50-foot-tall ‘mountain’ covered in real snow for the annual Telegraph Ski & Snowboard Show. From October 26 to 29, the best snowsport athletes in Britain will be attending to compete in a huge line-up of events both on Mount Battersea’s jump and the Show’s accompanying stunt rail among the trees. As well as the live competitions, there will be demonstrations from the athletes at scheduled times across the four days.

On Saturday 28 October, onlookers will be wowed by a brand-new big air competition hosted by Jimmy’s Iced Coffee. It’ll be an epic struggle between the opposing cultures of skiers and snowboarders in which athletes battle against each other to share in a £3,000 cash prize.

Show MC Tim Warwood will be asking visitors to pick a side – skier or snowboarder – and cheer on their chosen discipline as the athletes perform tricks individually, in pairs, in threesomes and then finally as a train (a number of athletes travelling down in a continuous line). The purpose of a big air event is to bring the biggest and best trick as the athletes hit the jump, making this new competition a spectacular highlight of the four-day event.

Earlier in the week the snows of Mount Battersea will play host to The British Freestyle Ski and Snowboard Championships, aka the BRITS, whose finale will be held on the Friday evening. The BRITS are also to be found in Laax, Switzerland, every season: they offer British skiers and riders from under 12s to over 30s the chance to compete and build skills.

For over 20 years the BRITS has played a major part in developing and showcasing the nation’s best freestyle skiers and snowboarders and has contributed to the success of GB Winter Olympic hopefuls such as James ‘Woodsy’ Woods, Katie Ormerod, Jamie Nicholls and Aimee Fuller. Great Britain’s first ever Olympic medallist on snow, Jenny Jones, came through the British Championships’ ranks before taking bronze at Sochi.

The action at this year’s Show won’t be limited to the 50ft kicker. Snow-sports clothing and hardware brand Planks will be hosting the final of its grassroots rail jam competition tour at the venue in Battersea Park. The Planks tour involves a number of events at the some of the UK’s top indoor and dry slopes, and each stop includes coaching from professional athletes, a film screening and a rail jam sessions. The best riders from each round will be chosen to attend the final in London, which will held on the Saturday.

For the second year in a row Jibworx will also be hosting the final of its university tour, Downtown Throwdown, on the stunt rail at the Show. The best talent will perform in lively rail jam sessions across the four days and compete for the title in the final on Saturday 28.